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Just how good is China's military?
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• Wednesday - Zhuhai's Air Show has always been a
  venue for surprises, usually first-time showings
  of advanced Chinese military hardware. China's
  pathologically secretive defense industry
  normally shows nothing official of its weapons
  programs to anyone, which makes the biennial
  Zhuhai expo the only chance to see what its
  weapons makers have been up to. Much has been
  written in the past few years about China's
  defense sector developing increasingly more
  capable weapons systems that approach the
  capability of the U.S. Some Chinese weapons, such
  as a full range of anti-ship and air-to-surface
  missiles, seem to show that its military -- the
  People's Liberation Army (PLA) -- is equipped to
  challenge U.S. Navy carrier battle groups. But
  questions remain about how battle-ready the PLA
  is and whether it can function in a modern
  warfare environment. Aerospace analysts point out
  that the FC-31 flown at Zhuhai is a "clean" jet
  in that it is not armed, which means that an
  aircraft configured for a real mission and fitted
  with weapons would be even heavier and would
  perform even worse. So, why has the PLAAF chosen
  to exhibit an aircraft that is either overweight,
  underpowered or both? It could be a signal to
  Washington with the underlying message "China is
  stronger than you think."
• Maybe a diamond isn't every girl's best friend.
  More brides to be are choosing non-traditional
  engagement rings over the standard white diamond
  solitaire that has adorned women's left hands for
  so long. Jewelers across the country are
  reporting an increase in couples looking for
  alternatives like colored diamonds, gemstones and
  bands to symbolize their commitment. "People want
  something that is unique and specific to them,"
  said New York designer. Unlike most trends that
  are fueled by young shoppers, older women are
  leading the charge. "They know more of who they
  are and want something that doesn't fit the norm
  and what all their girlfriends have." Rings
  without an elevated diamond are also more
  comfortable and fit in better with an active
  lifestyle. The price tag is also a big factor.
  The guy paying for it is more excited that it
  costs less too. A round-shape 1.20 carat sapphire
  with 0.16 carats of diamonds on an 18-karat white
  gold ban sells for 3,500 on a company's website.
  "It's well agreed in the trade that a sapphire
  engagement ring will cost about half of what a
  comparable diamond would cost," he said. Diamond
  prices could remain high, especially as the
  number of diamond mines declines. Higher prices
  could further ignite the trend of substitutions
  as the star of engagement rings.

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In Other News

• Russia plans to send long-range bombers to patrol
  the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, the
  nation's defense minister said, amid escalating
  tensions with the West over Ukraine. The patrols
  would bring the flights close to the United
  States' territorial waters. In September, the
  U.S. intercepted six Russian planes, including
  fighter jets, near airspace off Alaska. The plan
  to send the long-range bombers is in response to
  a growing international resentment against
  Russia. In addition Russia will boost its
  security in Crimea, the region it annexed from
  Ukraine earlier this year. "In the current
  situation we have to maintain military presence
  in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific, as
  well as the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico,
  Russian officials said. "Due to that, as part of
  the drills, Russian long-range bombers will
  conduct flights along Russian borders and over
  the Arctic Ocean.
• This week's historic space probe landing on a
  comet 310 million miles from Earth wasn't exactly
  a poetic ballet, but it still worked. Anchoring
  harpoons that were supposed to deploy when the
  Philae probe made impact didn't, lander manager
  Stephane Ulamec said Thursday. The lander also
  came with screws to burrow into the surface. They
  didn't work either. It made for a bouncy landing.
  Ulamec said Philae bounced three times before
  coming to a stop. Not pretty, but still the
  lander came to rest on solid group. A success
  anyway you look at it.